This present invention relates to medical diagnostic ultrasound. In particular, two dimensional flow imaging is provided.
Flow imaging is performed with color Doppler processes. The Doppler effect is used to estimate velocity, energy and/or variance of flow. The flow information is mapped to a color for imaging.
To image flow in a patient, the user positions the transducer at a desired location. Due to the sensitivity of the flow to the angle of insonification, the transducer is repositioned to identify the location with the best image. However, this repositioning may result in a longer examination.
Flow imaging includes other variables. The user adjusts the overall gain and depth gains and velocity scale settings. Proper settings may improve the flow sensitivity and fill-in. However, even images acquired with proper settings may have flow holes or insufficient sensitivity.